Australia arrests suspected North Korean agent

Australian police have arrested a man suspected of being a North Korean agent involved in black market trading of missile parts to Pyongyang.

Australian media reported that the man arrested was Chan Han Choi, 59, living in Sydney. Chan, who has been in Australia for more than 30 years, was born in South Korea but is not a Korean citizen.

Chan was arrested in the Sydney suburb of Eastwood on December 16 and will appear in court later today, Reuters reported, citing information from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Authorities have been interested in Chan since early 2017.

"This man is a loyal agent of North Korea. Chan believes he acted for a higher patriotic purpose," said Neil Gaughan, AFP assistant commissioner. "This is unprecedented on Australian soil."

Chan was charged with two counts of obstructing non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction for brokering the sale of missile components, including software for guidance systems, and four counts of contravening Australian and United Nations sanctions against North Korea for attempting to sell coal to third parties in Indonesia and Vietnam.

According to Gaughan, the deals would have been worth “tens of millions of dollars” if successful. Chan faces a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison if convicted.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen significantly over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs and joint US-South Korea military exercises. Pyongyang claims the Hwasong-15 missile tested on November 29 has a range that can cover the US.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier this week that Washington was determined to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal but was also ready to "negotiate without preconditions". However, the White House has insisted that there will be no negotiations unless North Korea improves its behavior.

According to VNE